| Title: | Adiposity among 132 479 UK Biobank participants; contribution of sugar intake vs other macronutrients |
| Journal: | International Journal of Epidemiology |
| Published: | 12 Jul 2016 |
| Pubmed: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27407038/ |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyw173 |
| URL: | https://academic.oup.com/ije/article-pdf/46/2/492/24172016/dyw173.pdf |
Publication 512
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Abstract
Background: Policy makers are being encouraged to specifically target sugar intake in order to combat obesity. We examined the extent to which sugar, relative to other macronutrients, was associated with adiposity.</p>
Methods: We used baseline data from UK Biobank to examine the associations between energy intake (total and individual macronutrients) and adiposity [body mass index (BMI), percentage body fat and waist circumference]. Linear regression models were conducted univariately and adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity and physical activity.</p>
Results: Among 132 479 participants, 66.3% of men and 51.8% of women were overweight/obese. There was a weak correlation (r = 0.24) between energy from sugar and fat; 13% of those in the highest quintile for sugar were in the lowest for fat, and vice versa. Compared with normal BMI, obese participants had 11.5% higher total energy intake and 14.6%, 13.8%, 9.5% and 4.7% higher intake from fat, protein, starch and sugar, respectively. Hence, the proportion of energy derived from fat was higher (34.3% vs 33.4%, P < 0.001) but from sugar was lower (22.0% vs 23.4%, P < 0.001). BMI was more strongly associated with total energy [coefficient 2.47, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.36-2.55] and energy from fat (coefficient 1.96, 95% CI 1.91-2.06) than sugar (coefficient 0.48, 95% CI 0.41-0.55). The latter became negative after adjustment for total energy.</p>
Conclusions: Fat is the largest contributor to overall energy. The proportion of energy from fat in the diet, but not sugar, is higher among overweight/obese individuals. Focusing public health messages on sugar may mislead on the need to reduce fat and overall energy consumption.</p>
8 Authors
- JJ Anderson
- CA Celis-Morales
- DF Mackay
- S Iliodromiti
- DM Lyall
- N Sattar
- JMR Gill
- JP Pell
1 Application
| Application ID | Title |
|---|---|
| 774 | Cross-sectional study to investigate ethnic differences in cardiovascular risk and mental health |
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